Weighing attachment for ice-tongs.



M. D. STEINER. WEIGHING ATTACHMENT FOR ICE TONGS.

- APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1915. 1,186,142..

Patentd June 6, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1- M. n. STEINER. WEIGHING ATTACHMENT FOR ICE TONGS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, i915.

Patented June 6, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Tm: COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cm, WASHINGTON, D. C-

MURRAY 1). STEINER,

or sAnINA, KANSAS.

WEIGHING ATTACHMENT FOR ICE-TONGS.

Application filed May 22, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MURRAY D. STEINER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salina, in the county of Salina and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Weighing Attachments for Ice-Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention contemplates an improved attachment for ice tongs whereby ice may be weighed in the ordinary use of the tongs without the necessity of employing a separate pair of scales.

The invention has as its primary object to provide a device of this character which may be readily attached to most any conventional type of ice tongs and which will accurately weigh and indicate the weight of ice supported by the tongs.

The invention has as a further object to provide an improved device of this character adapted to form a handle for the tongs and employing coacting yieldable arms connected by an indicator adapted to designate the weight of ice supported by the tongs,

and wherein means are provided for distributing the weight supported by the tongs equally between the said arms under the varying conditions of practical use.

The invention has as a further object to freely connect the device with the tongs and to provide an equalizing rod having free connection with the tongs and with the coacting arms above referred to so that the presence of the said equalizing rod will not impede or hamper the use of the tongs or the free manipulation of the handle, while, at

the same time, the rod will distribute weight upon the tongs equally between the said arms so that the indicator will, under all circumstances, accurately weigh the ice supported by the tongs. And the invention has as a still further object to provide an attachment which is relatively simple in construction and which will not, in use, be easily liable to injury or to get out of order.

Other and incidental objects will appear as the description proceeds and in the drawings wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts. throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved device applied to a pair of ice tongs, Fig. 2 is a perspective view Show? Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1916.

Serial No. 29,821.

ing the device detached with the parts thereof disassembled but in proper relative position, Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation indicator as well as the dial plate with I which it coacts.

In Fig. l of the drawings, I have shown my improved device applied to a weight supporting device, preferably in the form of a pair of ice tongs including swingingly connected coacting hook members or elements 10, which, at their inner extremities are provided with eyes 11. In this connection, it is desired to state that while I have illustrated and will describe my improved attachment in connection witha pair of ice tongs, still, as will be understood as the description of the invention proceeds, the device may be used in various other adaptations wherein coacting swingingly connected elements are employed for handling, moving, or supporting various characters of work, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the particular adaptation of the invention referred to.

In carrying out the invention, I preferably employ a substantially fiat metallic strip 12 which is bent into substantially elliptical form, and which is reduced adjacent its extremities to provide coacting yieldable arms 13 and 14 having their free ends terminating adjacent each other.

Arranged within the substantially elliptical band 12 and secured thereto in any suitable manner is a loop 15 adapted to provide a hand loop or handle. The free side of the loop 15, or, in other words, that side there of, confronting the free ends of the arms 13 and 14, is slotted longitudinally as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, to receive the adjacent margin of a dial plate 16. The dial plate 16 is secured within the said slot in any suitable manner and the free outer marmounting this indicator, the free end of the arm 13 is longitudinally slotted as shown at 19 to form spaced lugs 20 which are bent to embrace a pivot pin 21. The indicator 18, at one extremity thereof, is provided with a suitable opening which freely receives the pivot pin 21 with the adjacent end of the said indicator disposed within the slot 19. The indicator 18 is thus freely and swingingly connected with the arm 13 and the body thereof is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 22 which freely receives a pivot pin 23 carried by the free end of the arm 14, the body of the indicator being received within a suitable slot 24: formed in the said last mentioned arm. As will be best observed upon reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings, the pivot pin 23 is mounted in a manner similar to the mounting of the pivot pin 21.

The indicator 18, at its outer free end, is slotted longitudinally to freely receive the adjacent free margin of the dial plate 16 and to define pointers 25 adapted to coact with the scales 17 upon opposite sides of the said dial plate.

Mounted upon the arms 13 and let and ex tending laterally therefrom, are oppositely disposed apertured ears 26, which freely receive substantially U-shaped suspension members or links 27. Supported by said links is a floating equalizing rod 28 which is preferably in the nature of a metallic rod bent into substantially U-form and having laterally directed arms 29 arranged substantially parallel to each other and joined by a substantially straight connecting portion.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, the bight portions of the links 27 freely engage within the apertures of the cars 26 with the spaced arms of the said links depending therefrom. The said arms, at the free ends thereof, are bent to provide eyes 30 which freely receive the laterally directed arms 29 of the equalizing rod 28 in the manner shown in detail in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The free extremities of the arms 29 are screw threaded to detachably receive nuts 31, and the said equalizing rod is thus swingingly connected with the links 27, while the said links are, in turn, swingingly connected with the arms 13 and 14C respectively.

It will now be observed that the equalizing rod 28 is of a length to extend the normal distance between the free extremities of the links 27 with the links depending in substantial parallel relation to each other from the ears 26. Freely mounted upon the arms 29 of the equalizing rod 28, are split links 32, the said links being respectively received between the arms of the links 27. The construction thus described provides a complete device which may be connected to a pair of ice tongs or may in a similar manner,

be connected to like coacting elements of other types of tools. In the drawings, I have illustrated the links 32 as freely conneeted with the eyes 11 of the hook members 10 which links thus detachably and swingingly connect the device with the said hook members.

It will now be seen that when the hooks are engaged, in the well known manner, with a block of ice and are suspended through the medium of the hand loop 15, the weight of said block of ice, causing a downward pull upon the arms 13 and 14:, will move the free ends of the said arms toward each other. The indicator 18, will as a consequence, be swung upon the pivot pin 21 by the engage ment of the pivot pin 23 within the slot 22, so that the pointers 25 will be correspond ingly moved to indicate the weight of the ice 011 the dial l7. Normally, the pointers 25 will be disposed adjacent one side of the plate 16, as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and will, in use, be moved longitudinally of the plate, to thus properly indicate the weight of a load supported by the members 10. It will thus be seen that in the ordinary use of the device, the weight of any article supported by the tongs 10 may be readily ascertained, while the device is of such construction that it will not easily become injured or get out of order.

Particular attention is now directed to the importance and function of the equalizing rod 28. It will be noted that this rod provides a rigid element interposed between the links 32 and 27 respectively and, with which the, said links are freely and swingingly connected, being adapted, through the medium of its connecting portion, to equalize any inequalities in stress, in the practical use of the tongs 10, between the links upon one side of the device and the links upon the other side of the device, so that such stress will be equally communicated to the arms 13 and 1 1. As a result, the action of the said arms to actuate the indicator 1.8 will be uniform at all times and the device will thus accurately weigh, under the varying circumstances of practical use, any load supported by the members 10. Furthermore, it will be observed that the presence of the equalizing rod will not hamper or impede the free manipulation of the device which provides a handle for the tongs, but on the contrary, will assist in supporting the band 12, or in other words, the body portion of the device, against lateral shifting or piv otal movement in one direction upon the cars 26, the connecting portion of the said equalizing rod being disposed upon one side of the arms 13 and 14 and adapted to engage the said arms to limit their movement in that direction and consequently tend, in use, to maintain the entire body portion of the device in vertical alinement with the members 10. It will further be noted that the equalizing rod 28, by reason of its connection with the eyes of the suspension members or links 27, serves to hold the lower ends of the links a uniform distance apart under all load conditions and irrespective of the slight lateral movement of the upper ends of the links, due to the expansion and contraction of the band 12 during the weighing operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a weight support, of a scale including co-acting spring arms, a dial, an indicator supported by said arms and movable over the face of the dial,

suspension members connected to said arms and cooperating with the weight support, and an equalizing member connecting the suspension members for holding said members at the points of connection with the equalizing member at an unvarying distance apart.

2. The combination with a weight support, of a scale including co-acting spring arms, a dial, an indicator operatively supported by said arms and co-acting withv the dial, suspension members freely connected with said arms and cooperating with the weight support, and a rigid equalizing member freely connected with and supported by said suspension members, said equalizing member extending between the suspension members and holding said members an unvarying distance apart at the points of connection.

3. The combination with pivotally united weight supporting members, of a scale including co-acting spring arms, a dial, an indicator supported by said arms and coacting with the dial, suspension members connected to said arms, an equalizing rod connecting the lower ends of the suspension members to hold said members at a fixed distance apart, and a flexible connection between the equalizing rod and the weight supporting members.

4. A scale including co-acting spring arms, a dial, an indicator operatively supported by said arms and co-acting with the dial, suspension links connected with the arms, an equalizing rod connecting the links to hold the lower ends of said links at a fixed distance apart, and other links depending from the equalizing rod for connection with a weight support.

5. A scale including co-acting spring arms, a handle supported thereby, a dial carried by the handle, an indicator operatively supported by said arms and co-acting with the dial, suspension members connected with the arms, an equalizing rod supported by and extending between said suspension members to hold the lower ends of said suspension members at a fixed distance apart, and means suspended from the opposite ends of the equalizing rod for engagement with a weight support.

6. A scale including co-acting spring arms, a dial, an indicator operatively connected with the arms and movable over the face of the dial, links suspended from the arms and provided with eyes, an equalizing rod connecting the links and provided with laterally projecting arms extending through the eyes of the links, and means depending from the arms of the equalizing rod for attachment to a weight support.

7 A scale including co-acting spring arms, perforated ears extending laterally from said arms, a dial, an indicator operatively connected with the arms and co-acting with the dial, links suspended from the perforated ears and provided with terminal eyes, an equalizing rod connecting said links and provided with angular arms extending through the eyes thereof, and other links suspended from the arms of the equalizing rod between the eyes of the links for attachment to a weight support.

8. A scale including a resilient strip bent to provide co-acting spring arms, a handle supported between said arms and connected with the strip, said handle being provided with an incision, a dial plate secured to the handle at said incision, an indicator operatively connected with the free ends of the arms and movable over the face of the dial plate, a perforated ear extending laterally from each arm, links suspended from the perforated ears and having their lower ends spaced apart and provided with terminal eyes, other links interposed between the eyes for attachment to a weight support, and a rigid equalizing rod having its opposite ends bent laterally to form angularly disposed arms extending through the last mentioned links and the eyes of the first mentioned links.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MURRAY D. STEINER. [1,. s.]

Witnesses:

C. WV. LYNN,

JOHN FREDERICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for nve'cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

